(July 18, 1906-August 14, 1963)
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Co-Founded the Group Theater in New York City (1931)
One of the best known American playwrights of his generation
Wrote 'Waiting for Lefty,' 'Golden Boy,' 'The Country Girl,' 'Awake and Sing,' 'The Big Knife,' 'The Russian People,' and 'Rocket to the Moon'

Why he might be annoying

He was a liberal hypocrite.
His plays often had only one Act.
He is a prestigious playwright who now shares a name with the 'Big Red Dog' from a children's book (who ironically is better known).
He was married to the overrated actress Luise Rainer.
He believed that sexual relations with his wife killed his creativity and so he stopped sleeping with her.
He proceeded to have an extramarital affair with Frances Farmer while his wife was touring Europe, and then unceremoniously dumped her when his wife returned.
He also denied Frances the opportunity to star in their London production of 'Golden Boy,' choosing a financial backer's daughter instead.
His abandonment of Frances is what many believe finally sent her over the edge, leading to her eventually being institutionalized.
Fay Wray was rumored to have aborted the child she had with him (Susan Strasberg claimed to have heard him say 'I left her because she had no tits.')
Grace Kelly's Oscar win for the film version of his play, 'The Country Girl,' was called 'the biggest robbery since Brinks' by Groucho Marx.
He failed to gain traction as a Hollywood director.
He avoided blacklisting by HUAC by naming names, but his career declined afterwards anyway.

Why he might not be annoying

He was haunted to the end of his days by the public reaction to his naming names during the HUAC Hearings.
His plays often attacked human greed and the hypocrisy of American capitalism.
His first published play, 'Waiting for Lefty,' was wildly successful on its initial release, and almost universally acclaimed.
Arthur Miller wrote, 'an Odets play was awaited like news hot off the press, as though through him we would know what to think of ourselves and our prospects.'
He wrote the famous line, 'match me, Sidney,' for the 1957 classic 'The Sweet Smell of Success.'
He declined to be credited for many of the film screenplays he either wrote or assisted with.
His plays 'Awake and Sing' and 'Golden Boy' have been credited with making stars out of both John Garfield and William Holden, respectively.
Jack Warden claimed to have read one of his plays and decided he wanted to be an actor afterwards.
Paddy Chayevsky said 'There isn't a writer of my generation, especially a New York writer, who doesn't owe his very breath–his entire attitude toward theatre–to Odets.'
He co-founded the Group Theater, which served as an early blueprint for the Actor's Studio.
He is a member of the American Theater Hall of Fame.

In 2018, Out of 235 Votes: 65.96% Annoying
In 2017, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
In 2016, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
In 2015, Out of 15 Votes: 46.67% Annoying
In 2014, Out of 22 Votes: 54.55% Annoying